I
am a Star Wars fan. Not a fanatic, but a fairly sizeable fan. I was beyond
psyched to see the releases of the Special Editions of the original trilogy,
and despite the problems I had with the tweaks George Lucas made on them,
eagerly awaited the prequels, Episodes I-III. Need I say that I was severely
disappointed with the results?
I’ve
mostly moved on from the debacle that was the Prequilogy, the way one moves on
after the house one grew up in is demolished to put in a convenience store.
(Though I still nurse a distant grudge against GL for, well, everything
connected with the second trilogy; I fantasize about blowing up that convenient
store like Martin Blank). (If you don’t get that reference, it’s okay). (But
you should watch the movie Grosse Point Blank). (Like, immediately).
Visiting
my good friends the Eglis, we were browsing through Netflix for a suitable
diversion when Caleb recommended a documentary called The People vs. George
Lucas. This film, which may interest even the uninterested newcomer to all
things Star Wars, served to reopen many of the wounds of the past, as well as
introduce some new ones. (Thanks, Caleb). The filmmakers interview myriad fans
and connoisseurs of Star Wars and popular culture, charting the history of the
original trilogy up to present day. And the essence of the story revolves around
the right of George Lucas to change the universe of Star Wars to suit his own
designs, not only in the new movies and shows that have come out in recent
years, but in his updating of the original movies. There is an almost universal
loathing of Lucas for his treatment of the fans’ sensibility, at least
according to them. And some of the clips they insert of Lucas himself don’t
help dispel the image of him as an egomaniacal control freak consumed with
squeezing every possible cent out of the tortured fans that made him an icon in
films.
Afterward,
I was discussing it with the gracious hosts and happened to mention that there
seems to be a strange parallel to the Jewish religious rulers’ (and, I’m sure,
many of the common people who made up their congregations) reactions to the
Incarnation and the inevitable obsolescence of the Old Covenant. And I thought
it might be interesting and possibly instructive to explore this analogy
further.
In
the beginning there was an original doctrine laid down by the creator. God gave
the Ten Commandments as well the Levitical practices for offering sacrifices.
These were the precepts by which man could expunge his guilt and sin before
God. Similarly, Lucas gave the original trilogy of movies, which created a
cultural phenomenon and served as a seminal touchstone in a great many people’s
lives.
Also,
once the originator finished laying down the first words, the adherents began
to expand upon what was originally communicated. The six hundred and fourteen
laws that existed by the time Jesus walked into the Temple were the exhaustive
attempts by man to improve upon God’s laws. Similarly, fans throughout the
years began to write books, to recreate the original stories, as well as create
fictionalized tales of Lucas’ early days and how he created the Star Wars saga.
By the time the next trilogy came out, dozens, possibly hundreds of novels were
on shelves featuring the characters originally from the film, along with new
characters, adventures, and conclusions beyond anything Lucas could
have possibly anticipated.
Next,
the creator made some changes. (Do bear in mind this is an imperfect analogy.
Don’t get riled if I seem to suggest blasphemous analogous elements; such is
not my intention). God, who had always been a monotheistic deity (in fact, this
aspect of the Hebrew religion is what differentiated them from every other
world religion heretofore), introduced a Son, who also introduced a Spirit,
thus creating a Trinity in the person of Father-Son-Holy Spirit. This was a
major departure from the way Jews had always understood God; the religious
rulers of the day used this blasphemy to justify killing this upstart preacher
from Nazareth.
Similarly,
Lucas changed some elements in the original trilogy, sprucing it up to appear
more modern and technologically advanced. Further, he caused a quiet outrage by
explaining the Force, the source of the Jedi’s power, not by means of a
spiritual or mental power, but rather made up of microscopic particles call
midichlorians, thus allowing a rational, biological explanation for a
philosophical quandary (namely, “What is the Force?). Fans were incensed.
And
this is where the true similarity appears to me, what originally got this
concept rattling in my brain. Because I watched the fans rant and rage about
what had been done to the stories they loved so much, how Lucas had betrayed
their trust with the Special Edition Original Trilogy, then the Prequels,
coupled with the incessant and ubiquitous marketing and commercialization of
the saga while simultaneously ignoring fan sentiment. It was fascinating and
not a little instructive that Lucas refuses to release the original trilogy in
the most updated format as they were originally aired in theatres, only
providing the updated versions, the “true” versions that he wanted to release
back then but didn’t or couldn’t. Much was made of this fact in the film, the
outright disdain which Lucas seems to view the fans while he still attempts to
cajole them into buying whatever products he releases. The creator does his own
thing, and the acolytes utterly reject it.
Sound
familiar? The Jewish religious leaders were by far the driving force that put
Jesus on the cross, and continued their persecution of the early Christian
church. The new doctrine of the New Covenant, that Jesus the Messiah had come
and provided victory over death, a final sacrifice for sin, and a direct
relationship to God the Father for everyone, directly threatened the status quo
that the Pharisees and Sadducees used to obtain wealth and influence. If men
didn’t need to offer sacrifices or sojourn to the Temple to communicate with
God through His appointed leaders, then the priests would have to find another
line of work, and one that probably wouldn’t give them the status to which they
were accustomed. Small wonder they so vehemently rejected the Gospel.
Perhaps
herein lies the lesson: in certain circumstances, good can become ossified to
the point where it is no longer good. And when change comes, those who attach
too much importance on what came before resist that change to their own
detriment. And I say this as one who falls much more into the betrayed,
outraged camp than one who had no problem with the new movies. Interestingly
enough, kids like the new movies, kids with no deep attachment to the previous
movies, who take things as they come and enjoy things for what they are. Part
of my disappointment with the new movies was my expectations that they would be
like the old movies. But everything had changed since the original movies were
made: the culture, the technology, the fans, the actors, Lucas himself, the
community of the Star Wars universe. It was rather ridiculous to imagine that
the new movies would resemble the old. Ossification.
And
the Old Covenant was incomplete precisely because it was originally intended to
be merely a shadow, a picture, a map, an analogy of the coming Messiah Jesus.
The sacrifices, the various precepts, the symbols, everything about the Old
Covenant paved the way for the New Covenant. The Old Covenant was like hearing
someone describe a foreign country; no matter how great the detail or evocative
the language of the description, it’s not the same thing. The New Covenant was
actually going to the place, seeing the sights, hearing the sounds, savoring
the smells, soaking in the atmosphere. It’s everything the description said it
would be, but oh so much more! It’s 2D vs 3D. It’s life vs. a pale imitation.
(Though
don’t mention 3D to Lucas; he’ll try to release all six movies in 3D. Anything
for a buck. Yeah, I’m still bitter).
